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30 TEACHER MARCH 2010
Through all of the sciences, but the geo-
sciences in particular, teachers have an
opportunity and a responsibility to engage
students in school-based activities and
investigations related to issues such as cli-
mate change, water and soil, alternative
energies, nuclear power, environmental
degradation and species extinction, across
the diverse disciplines of Physics, Chemis-
try, Biology and Geology. Students need
both the opportunity to examine the real
scientific evidence that's now readily avail-
able, and the opportunity to learn to make
personal decisions based on that evidence.
By learning to 'think scientifically,' students
can learn to participate in informed debate,
based on science rather than purely emo -
tive or economic considerations. Through
geoscience, students can learn to derive
views from a scientific perspective, based
on a better understanding of the planet
Earth, and to develop a better appreciation
of the need to find a sustainable future for
humanity.
The inclusion of geoscience in Australian
school curricula is also important because
of the nature of our national economy. Since
mining and energy are the major sources
of our continuing national prosperity, our
students should have the opportunity to
learn something about these key industries.
They are also significant providers of skilled
employment and professional careers in sci-
ence. The challenge for teachers of sciences
is to present a balanced view in order to
empower students to investigate the some-
times difficult local, national and global
issues related to economic, environmental
and sustainability points of view.
Afurther challenge is to renovate our sci-
ence curricula. Senior secondary students
typically see studies in traditional sciences as
useful only for those who aspire to become
scientists or engineers. Only a small minor-
ity have aspirations in those directions, and
the academic approach is a put- off for many.
Declining enrolments in senior science
subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Biology
have been a growing international phenom-
enon over decades. As more students have
voted with their feet, schools have begun
offering more popular alternatives, like
Forensic Science and Psychology, to attract
viable numbers. These more popular sci-
ences are perceived as being more interest-
ing and more relevant to student's everyday
lives and experiences
The inclusion of Earth and Environmental
Science in the national curriculum is thus
timely, and highly commendable. It will pro -
vide students with opportunities to engage
with important local and global issues, and
to experience the range of traditional scien-
tific disciplines by which these issues can be
investigated.
My experience in the Geoscience Path-
ways project has shown that when Years 6
and 7 students are given the opportunity
to investigate, say, the salinity and acid-
ity of seawater, or the effects of dilute acid
on limestone to produce the greenhouse
gas carbon dioxide, and the relationship
WE LIVE AT A TIME WHEN SCIENCE IS AT THE HEART OF BIG ISSUES LIKE CLIMATE
CHANGE. ALL THE MORE REASON, SAYS AWARD-WINNING SCIENCE TEACHER
LEN ALTMAN , TO INVEST IN SCIENCE TEACHING IN OUR SCHOOLS AND BEYOND.
Rocks in
his head